Donald Trump has said he is ‘filled with grief and anger’ after a conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a university.
Kirk, a close ally of Trump, was answering a question about gun violence when he was assassinated at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
A manhunt for the suspect is underway after two people were detained earlier, but neither was determined to have had any connection to the shooting and both have been released, Utah public safety officials said.
Trump said: ‘I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah.’
‘This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,’ Utah Governor Spencer Cox added.
‘I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.’
Officials believe the suspect wore dark clothing and fire the gun from a roof some distance away to the courtyard where the event took place.
Around 3,000 people were in attendance including the university police department and Kirk’s own security.
